What’s more important – adhering to a dress code or bringing something fresh to the red carpet? Last night at the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, some celebs decided to pay homage to the celebrated American designer Charles James, while others chose to wear something exciting instead. No shade to James, but after seeing one too many taffeta-clad celebs, I cheered when I glimpsed Lupita Nyong’o’s Prada amazingness. Sure, it wasn’t exactly inspired by Charles James, but it was fun to look at, and if anyone could pull off the bejeweled net dress with feathers, it’s Lupita. Same goes for Kirsten Dunst’s Rodarte Star Wars gown – amazing, and probably not the most appropriate for that particular theme, but still…so cool! Another look I couldn’t resist last night was Chloe Sevigny in Kenzo, which was probably much too modern for last night’s theme, but I loved it all the same.

But it wasn’t solely the rebels that caught my eye, I absolutely adored Liu Wen in a Zac Posen stunner (which I just got to see at Holts last week!), Emmy Rossum in a floral Carolina Herrera gown, Giovanna Battaglia in an 0ff-the-shoulder Dolce & Gabbana, and Hailee Steinfeld in a very theme-(and age)-appropriate black, white, and pink Prabal Gurung gown.

Mostly though, I was underwhelmed with last night’s red carpet looks. My favourite Style Fille Diane Kruger looked washed out in pale blue (though Joshua more than made up for it!), SJP disappointed in a messy Oscar de la Renta, Johnny Depp came dressed as Colonel Sanders, Kate Upton, who isn’t exactly a high-fashion darling, looked frumpy in a Dolce & Gabbana gown, and the rest of the lot just looked…been-there-wore-that.

What do you think of last night’s Met Gala red carpet? Which celebs got it right in your opinion? Share in the comments!

WHAT I WORE

WHO IS NELIA?

Nelia Belkova is a Toronto-based fashion and lifestyle blogger by night and a financial analyst by day. She loves to travel, read gossip sites, eat sweets, and cuddle up to her husband and her cat on the couch. Read More…